Conventionally, as a method of producing a 3,2′-bipyridine derivative having an oxygen functional group at the 6-position, (1) a method comprising reacting a 2-alkoxypyridine derivative, wherein the 5-position is substituted by a boron atom, a tin atom and the like, with a 2-halogenated pyridine derivative in the presence of a palladium catalyst (WO2001-81310, U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,611), and (2) a method comprising reacting a pyridine derivative, wherein the 2-position is substituted by a boron atom, a tin atom and the like, with 5-halogenated 2-alkoxypyridine in the presence of a palladium catalyst (WO2001-96308, WO2001-27112) are known.
Both the above-mentioned methods (1) and (2) are expensive and require use of a palladium catalyst whose waste liquid has a pollution problem, which inevitably increases the cost, and cannot be employed industrially.